Oyster-opening tool.



im. 708,014. P'amntedsept. 2, 1902.

. l s. BLAGDEN. l y UYSTEB" OPENING TOUL.

(Appl t nmdAp 29 1902 l l Il F nuptoz www I FHI (No Model.)

Witness@ i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILLIMAN BLAGDEN, or BoSroN, MASSACHUSETTS.

oYsTER-oPENlNG Tool..

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 708,014, datedSeptember 2, 1902.

.Application led April Z9, 1902. v Serial No. 105,183. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom iff/may concern:

Beit known that I, SILLIMAN BLAGDEN, a citizen of the United States,residingat Boston, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Oyster-Opening Tool, ofwhich the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to devices for opening oysters, and has for itsobject to provide a tool by means of which oysters. may not only beeasily and readily opened, but. also by means of which the scattering ofbroken pieces of shell on oysters served on the halfshell is avoided. Asoysters are ordinarily shucked when they are served on the halfshellitis very common to find pieces of broken shell in the oyster, which isnot only disagreeable to the eater in having the pieces of shell in themouth and being obliged to eject them, but also in many cases it isinjurious, where the pieces of shell are inadverten tly swallowed withthe oyster, thereby subsequently occasioning internal troubles of aserious nature. Moreover, by means of this invention oysters may beopened with little trouble by unskilled persons and in households orrestaurants where there is not an experienced oystershucker. f j

The invention consists of an oyster-opening tool constructed as hereinset forth and claimed.

Referringto the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side view of theinvention. Fig. 2 is a top view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side view oppositethat in Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the line 4. l,Fig. 1.

The tool is constructed as follows:

l and 2 are arms hinged together by the pivot-pin 3, forming the handles5 5 and the' short portions 6 7, the whole resembling the leverarrangement of a hand-punch. The

short portion 6 is formed at its outer end with a fork-shaped orbranched end 8, which may be termed an anvil or rest, extendinglaterally thereto and to the cutting edge or blade of a combined knifeand wedging oyster opener or prier 9, mounted on the other short portion7 and preferably detachably secured thereto in any suitable manner bymeans of screws 10, passing through the head of the knife 9 and engagingthe short portion 7. By this means the knife 9 may be revrelativeposition of the anvil and knife on moved for sharpening or to supply anew one. The knife-blade 9 has its cutting edge located in a plane atright angles and transverse to the anvil or rest and is located on theshort arm 7 at an angle inclined and depending inwardly thereto, wherebywhen the tool is operated the blade will swing and cut along the edge ofthe oyster between the twoshells toward the rear or hinged end thereof.The knife 9 is preferably shaped as follows to permit of the properoperation thereof, as hereinafter set forth: The sides ofthe knife 9taper to a comparatively thin edge ll and also vto an oval point12,which enables the knife 9 to be wedged in between the two shells of theoyster and then in the operation of the tool to cut the ligament orhinge of the oyster-shells. A suitable spring 13, similar to those inhand-punches, is located between the handles 5 5 to hold the same apart.

A suitable knife 14 may be mounted on the arm 2, which can be used tocut the ligament holding the two shells of the oyster together after theopening has been made in the end of the oyster and the hinge cut.

The operation of the tool is as follows: An oyster is held in the lefthand and the tool in the right. The open jaws are located at the hingedend 15 of an oyster 16, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, with theanvil orrest 8 resting transversely against the lower edge of theoyster, vthe notch in Athe anvil serving to steady the oyster and theedge of the knife 9 at its point resting against the upper edge of theoyster, as shown. Upon pressing the handles 5 5 toward each other theedge of the knife at a single point is inserted between the two shells,and as the pressure is continued the beveled shape of the knife wedgesthe shells apart. At the same time the knife-edge severs the ligament orhinge of thev oyster. By means of the short arms 6 and 7 and the saidarms and to each other when the tool is operated the knife will swinginl an-arc inwardly and acrossand toward the` hinged end of the oysterand will clear the oyster. A clean cut opening is thereby made at thehinge end of the oyster sufficient for the insertion of a knife-blade,such as the blade lll. Such blade being inserted, the opening made bythe tool permits the blade to be operated to out the remaining ligamentwhich holds the shells together, when they will be entirely detached. Incutting and prying open the hinged end of the oyster as described theedges of the shell are not battered by the operation of the knife 9, buta clean cut and separation is effected, whereby no pieces of shell getinto the oyster.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An oyster-opening tool consisting of a pair of hinged lever-arms, eachhaving a. short and long leg, an anvil on one of said short legs,

SILLIMAN BLAGDEN.

Witnesses:

HOWARD A. WHALL, ELIZABETH HOGAN.

two witnesses, 2o

